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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILES SUIT AGAINST CITY OF

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department today sued Newark, New Jersey for allegedly discriminating against police officers on the basis of their Islamic religion.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, alleges that the city refused to let Kevin Rhodes, Anthony Kerr and similarly-situated police officers wear beards in compliance with their religious observance, practice and belief as Muslims. The complaint also alleges that Rhodes, Kerr and others were threatened with termination and subjected to other adverse treatment because of these observances, practices and beliefs.

"The Justice Department is committed to eradicating religious discrimination in public employment," said Bill Lann Lee, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "Employers have a duty to accommodate reasonably the religious observances, practices and beliefs of employees."

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion as well as other bases. The statute defines the term "religion" to include " all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business."

Rhodes and Kerr originally filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which investigated the matters and found reasonable cause to believe the officers' allegations were true, and referred them to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department's complaint asks the federal district court to enter an order requiring the city to provide make-whole relief, including compensatory damages, to Rhodes, Kerr and other present and former police officers, and to take other appropriate measures to eliminate religious discrimination from the workplace.

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